Speech Acts | Portuguese (Portugal) Grammar

A speech act is a social move you perform with language: asking someone for something, saying sorry, saying thanks, turning an offer down, paying a compliment. Every language has conventional ways of performing these moves, and getting them wrong is where learners most visibly stumble. You can conjugate perfectly and still sound rude, servile, or strange if you do not know that in PT-PT you say obrigada if you are female and obrigado if you are male — or that you use se faz favor rather than por favor in most café situations.

This page gives you the stock PT-PT realisations for the main speech acts: requests, apologies, thanks, refusals, compliments, and invitations. These are not arbitrary phrases; they are the conventional signals Portuguese speakers use to recognise that you are performing the act correctly. Memorise the formulas, and then layer hedges on top (see Hedging and Softening) to adjust the register.

Requests

Portuguese has a spectrum of request forms, from blunt imperatives to elaborate politeness. Choosing the right one is a function of your relationship to the listener, the size of the favour, and the register of the setting.

Imperative (direct, intimate only)

A bare imperative is the most direct request. In PT-PT it is reserved for intimates (family, close friends) or situations where formality is inappropriate (someone is in danger, urgent instructions). Using a bare imperative with a stranger sounds rude.

Passa-me o sal, se faz favor.

Pass me the salt, please. (intimate, at a family dinner)

Espera aqui um segundo.

Wait here a second. (to a friend)

Even with intimates, Portuguese speakers usually tag on se faz favor or por favor. A bare passa-me o sal without any softener can feel abrupt.

Podia / podias — the polite workhorse

The imperfect of poder ("to be able") is the default polite request. Podias...? (informal, tu) and podia...? (formal, você or o senhor / a senhora) translate English "could you..." The imperfect form is softer than the present podes / pode.

Podias passar-me essa caneta, por favor?

Could you pass me that pen, please? (informal)

A senhora podia repetir, se faz favor? Não percebi bem.

Ma'am, could you repeat that, please? I didn't quite catch it.

Podia dizer-me onde fica a estação?

Could you tell me where the station is? (to a stranger)

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Use the imperfect (podia, podias) rather than the conditional (poderia, poderias) for everyday polite requests. The conditional exists and is even more formal, but in speech Portuguese overwhelmingly uses the imperfect for politeness.

Importa-se de / importas-te de...?

Another high-politeness form: "would you mind..." Literally "does it matter to you to..." This is common in PT-PT and slightly more elaborate than podia...?

Importa-se de fechar a porta, por favor?

Would you mind closing the door, please? (formal)

Importas-te de esperar um bocadinho?

Do you mind waiting a little bit? (informal)

Era possível...?

A very PT-PT construction that uses the imperfect era ("was") to frame the request hypothetically: "would it be possible to..."

Era possível trocar isto por outra cor?

Would it be possible to exchange this for another colour?

Era possível esperar até amanhã?

Would it be possible to wait until tomorrow?

Politeness markers: por favor vs se faz favor

Both translate as "please," but they are not interchangeable in PT-PT feel.

Por favor — neutral, slightly more written, universally correct.
Se faz favor — more typically spoken PT-PT, especially in service encounters (cafés, shops, restaurants). Often reduced to faz favor or even the interjection 'faz favor! for flagging a waiter's attention.

Um café, se faz favor.

A coffee, please. (ordering at a café)

Faz favor! Pode trazer a conta?

Excuse me! Could you bring the bill?

Brazilian Portuguese uses por favor for all of these; the se faz favor pattern is distinctively PT-PT.

Apologies

PT-PT distinguishes between an informal desculpa (tu) and a formal desculpe (você / formal address). This tracks the universal PT-PT informal/formal split.

Short apologies

Form	Use
desculpa	informal apology — to a friend, family
desculpe	formal apology — to a stranger, in a shop
peço desculpa	more emphatic, register-neutral — "I apologise"
peço imensa desculpa	emphatic apology — "I'm terribly sorry"
perdão	for accidents and minor bumps — "sorry!"

Desculpa, esqueci-me completamente de te ligar.

Sorry, I totally forgot to call you. (informal)

Desculpe, pode repetir, se faz favor?

Excuse me, could you repeat that, please? (formal)

Peço imensa desculpa pelo atraso.

I'm terribly sorry for the delay.

Expressing regret — lamento, sinto muito

When the apology is for something beyond your control (bad news, a loss), use lamento or sinto muito.

Lamento imenso o que aconteceu com o teu pai.

I'm so sorry about what happened with your father.

Sinto muito não poder ir ao casamento.

I'm very sorry I can't make it to the wedding.

Register note: sinto muito is more common in BR than in PT-PT. In Portugal, lamento or lamento muito is the preferred register-neutral choice. Sinto muito in PT-PT can feel slightly formulaic or even Brazilian.

Soft apologies — perdoe lá, desculpa lá

With the discourse particle lá attached, apologies become gentler and more conversational.

Desculpa lá, fui eu que te empurrei sem querer.

Sorry about that — I bumped into you without meaning to.

Perdoe lá, não queria incomodá-lo.

Forgive me, I didn't mean to bother you.

Thanks

Obrigado / obrigada — the gender trap

Obrigado originally means "obliged" (past participle of obrigar). Because it agrees with the speaker, it has two forms:

Obrigado — said by a male speaker
Obrigada — said by a female speaker

This is not optional. A woman saying obrigado sounds grammatically wrong to Portuguese ears. This is one of the most reliable markers of a learner's fluency: getting the gender right every time.

(woman) — Obrigada pela boleia!

Thanks for the lift!

(man) — Obrigado, foi muita gentileza.

Thanks, that was very kind.

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The gender agrees with the speaker, not the listener. A father thanking his daughter says obrigado; a mother thanking her son says obrigada. The grammar is about who is obliged — the one saying thanks.

Intensified thanks

Form	Intensity
obrigado/a	neutral thanks
muito obrigado/a	thanks very much (standard)
muitíssimo obrigado/a	thanks so much
obrigadíssimo/a	emphatic thanks, superlative
agradeço	more formal — "I'm grateful"
fico muito grato/a	formal — "I'm very grateful"

Muito obrigada pela ajuda, a sério.

Thank you very much for the help, really.

Agradeço imenso a atenção que teve connosco.

I'm very grateful for the attention you gave us. (formal)

Responses to thanks

Response	Register
de nada	neutral — "you're welcome"
não tem de quê	more formal — "not at all"
de nada, homem/mulher	informal — "no worries, man/woman"
ora, não foi nada	"oh, it was nothing"
às ordens	formal, service context — "at your service"

— Muito obrigado! — De nada, foi um prazer.

— Thanks a lot! — You're welcome, my pleasure.

— Agradeço imenso. — Ora, não tem de quê.

— I'm really grateful. — Oh, not at all.

Refusals

Turning something down in PT-PT usually requires a softening preface followed by a reason. A bare não sounds abrupt.

Stock refusal frames

Infelizmente não posso — já tenho outro compromisso.

Unfortunately I can't — I've already got another commitment.

Agora não dá, mas fica para a próxima.

It doesn't work right now, but let's do it next time.

Gostaria muito, mas tenho de trabalhar.

I'd love to, but I have to work.

Olha, desculpa lá, mas não me apetece mesmo.

Look, I'm sorry, but I really don't feel like it.

Softening patterns

The standard structure is: acknowledgement → regret → reason.

Agradeço imenso o convite, mas infelizmente tenho outro compromisso nesse dia.

I really appreciate the invitation, but unfortunately I have another commitment that day.

Era mesmo engraçado, mas desta vez vai ter de ficar para outra altura.

It'd be really fun, but this time it'll have to be another time.

Deixa estar — the polite brush-off

Deixa estar ("leave it" / "never mind") is a characteristic PT-PT refusal of an offer. It politely tells someone not to bother.

— Posso ajudar-te com isso? — Deixa estar, eu resolvo.

— Can I help you with that? — Don't worry, I'll handle it.

— Pagas a próxima? — Deixa estar, eu pago.

— Will you get the next round? — Don't worry about it, I'll pay.

Compliments

Compliments in PT-PT range from neutral to bold. Choosing the right register matters — too mild and the compliment does not land; too bold and it can come across as flirtatious or flippant.

Neutral compliments

Que camisola tão gira!

What a lovely jumper!

Está ótimo, parabéns pelo trabalho.

It's excellent — congratulations on the work.

Esse corte de cabelo fica-te muito bem.

That haircut really suits you.

Giro / gira is the classic PT-PT word for "cute / nice / neat," applicable to objects, clothes, ideas, and (carefully) people. It is informal but not overly so.

Bolder compliments

Estás uma brasa hoje!

You're looking hot today! (very informal — only among close friends)

Está espetacular!

It's spectacular!

Está com um ar ótimo, o senhor.

You're looking great, sir. (formal, respectful)

Estás uma brasa is playful and intimate; do not use it with strangers. Está espetacular is emphatic and register-neutral.

Responses to compliments

Portuguese speakers tend to deflect compliments with mild humility rather than accept them directly. Pure acceptance (obrigado!) is fine but often paired with a deflection.

— Que camisola gira! — Ai, obrigada, é antiga.

— What a nice jumper! — Oh, thanks, it's old.

— Fizeste um ótimo trabalho. — Ora essa, fizemos todos.

— You did great work. — Oh come on, we all did.

— Ficaste tão bem! — Que simpático, muito obrigada.

— You look great! — How sweet, thank you.

Ora essa is a particularly Portuguese deflection — a slightly mock-indignant "oh please" that downplays the praise without rejecting it.

Invitations

Making an invitation

Informal invitations typically use vamos + infinitive or apetece-te + infinitive.

Vamos beber um café depois do trabalho?

Want to grab a coffee after work?

Apetece-te ir ao cinema logo à noite?

Do you fancy going to the cinema tonight?

E se fôssemos jantar fora no sábado?

What if we went out for dinner on Saturday? (note the imperfect subjunctive — softer)

More formal invitations use gostaríamos de convidá-lo(a) or vínhamos convidá-lo(a).

Gostaríamos muito de o convidar para o casamento da nossa filha.

We would very much like to invite you to our daughter's wedding.

Accepting

Claro! Que ideia ótima.

Of course! Great idea.

Adorava! A que horas?

I'd love to! What time?

Por mim, vamos lá, sim.

As for me, yes, let's go.

Declining

(See the Refusals section above — invitations are declined using the same stock frames.)

Ai, adorava mesmo, mas não posso esse dia — tenho viagem marcada.

Oh, I'd really love to, but I can't that day — I've got a trip booked.

Sample mini-dialogues

At a café

— Boa tarde, se faz favor. — Boa tarde, diga. — Queria um café e um pastel de nata. — É já, são 2,20. — Obrigado. — De nada, bom apetite.

— Good afternoon, please. — Good afternoon, go ahead. — I'd like a coffee and a pastel de nata. — Right away, that's 2.20. — Thanks. — You're welcome, enjoy.

Declining an invitation

— Vens jantar a casa no sábado? — Ai, adorava, mas no sábado vou a Coimbra. Fica para a próxima? — Claro, combina-se.

— Are you coming over for dinner on Saturday? — Oh, I'd love to, but on Saturday I'm going to Coimbra. Next time? — Of course, let's sort it out.

Apologising for a mistake

— Peço imensa desculpa, trocámos os documentos. — Não faz mal, essas coisas acontecem.

— I'm terribly sorry, we mixed up the documents. — No problem, these things happen.

Common mistakes

1. Wrong gender for obrigado/obrigada. Women saying obrigado is the single most recognisable learner mistake in Portuguese thanks. Match the form to your gender.

❌ (woman says) Obrigado pela boleia.

Wrong gender — should be obrigada.

✅ (woman says) Obrigada pela boleia.

Thanks for the lift. (correct gender agreement)

2. Using por favor where PT-PT prefers se faz favor. In cafés, shops, and casual service encounters, se faz favor sounds more native. Por favor works but is slightly more formal-written in feel.

❌ (at a café, slightly stiff) Um galão, por favor.

Correct, but feels more formal/Brazilian.

✅ (at a café, natural PT-PT) Um galão, se faz favor.

A galão, please.

3. Flat não without softening. Refusing a favour or invitation with just não is harsh. Always add a reason or a softening preface.

❌ — Vais ao casamento? — Não.

Rude without softening — sounds curt.

✅ — Vais ao casamento? — Ai, infelizmente não posso, tenho outro compromisso.

— Are you going to the wedding? — Oh, unfortunately I can't, I've got another commitment.

4. Imperative as a request with strangers. Commanding a stranger with a bare imperative (Diga-me as horas!) sounds aggressive. Use podia dizer-me or importa-se de for strangers.

❌ Diga-me as horas!

Sounds commanding with strangers.

✅ Desculpe, podia dizer-me as horas, se faz favor?

Excuse me, could you tell me the time, please?

5. Thanking with obrigado with no tone. A clipped obrigado can sound perfunctory. Portuguese speakers soften it with muito, an intensifier, or a follow-up phrase: muito obrigado, obrigado, muito simpático, muito obrigado mesmo.

❌ (after a big favour) Obrigado.

Correct but feels too brief for the size of the favour.

✅ Muito obrigado mesmo, foi uma grande ajuda.

Thanks so much, really — it was a huge help.

6. Accepting compliments with a bare sim. Simply agreeing with a compliment (— Estás tão bem! — Sim.) sounds smug. The conventional PT-PT response is a light deflection: obrigada, que simpático / ora essa / são favores.

❌ — Que linda blusa! — Sim, é bonita.

Sounds self-congratulatory in PT-PT.

✅ — Que linda blusa! — Obrigada, que simpática.

— What a lovely blouse! — Thanks, how sweet of you.